Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to shoe inserts, and more particularly, to removable shoe inserts configured to fit in the toe box of a shoe, underlying the ball of the foot and under and in front of the toes, in order to prevent the foot from sliding forward in a pair of shoes that are too large for the foot of the wearer while maintaining the heel of the wearer in a natural position.
Description of the Related Art
There are a large variety of shoe inserts available on the market to increase the comfort of the wearer by proving cushioning, shock absorption, and the like. These inserts are typically made of a resilient material, such as cellular polymeric foams, illustratively polyurethanes, heat-sensitive viscoelastic memory foams, or gels and are generally configured to overlie the entire foot bed of the shoe. It is also known to provide shoe inserts that overlie the area of the foot bed that would be contacted by the ball of the foot and at least a portion of the toes. Ball of foot inserts are particularly useful in conjunction with high heeled shoes to prevent the foot from sliding forward and/or to provide cushioning against the increased forces on the ball of the foot that result from the elevation of the heel.
It is also known to use full sole and ball of foot-type inserts for making a shoe that is too big for the wearer fit better. Often women will purchase, or borrow, shoes that are perfect for an ensemble, but that are not available in their correct size. Children's shoes are frequently purchased in a larger size so that the child may grow into the shoe. In an effort to ameliorate the discomfort and/or aesthetic problems with wearing a shoe that is too large, it is known to use inserts. Inserts, which are typically of a uniform thickness, may help somewhat, but still leave the foot in an unnatural position in the shoe.
One suggestion for improving the fit is to use a full sole insert in conjunction with a ball of the foot insert either on top of the full sole insert, or on the vamp of the shoe, which is the portion of the shoe overlying the top of the forefoot so that the foot more fully occupies the toe box area to keep the foot from sliding forward. When the foot slides forward, the heel of the foot of the wearer is not in natural registration with the heel of the shoe. The resulting gap readily reveals that the shoe is too large for the wearer.
In view of the foregoing, it is evident that the prior art recognizes that use of an insert alone does not adequately address the problems encountered when wearing shoes that are too large.
While the primary goal of most shoe inserts is to improve comfort, U.S. Pat. No. 7,827,707 purports also to be useful in connection with making oversized shoes fit comfortably, particularly children's shoes. In this known arrangement, compressible viscoelastic polyurethane (memory foam), is cut to fit in the toe box of a shoe in the forward most portion that is unoccupied. The rear portion of the memory foam insert engages the front surface of at least some of the toes. When the shoe is worn with the known insert, the wearer's body temperature and the forces applied to the insert by the wearer cause the insert to conform to the tips of some of the wearer's toes. More specifically, the entire shoe insert of U.S. Pat. No. 7,827,707 sits in the toe box, and does not extend beneath the toes. Due to the resiliency of the memory foam, particularly in the case of high heeled shoes, the forward ends of the toes are forcefully urged forward against the insert. The resilience of the memory foam, coupled with the sliding of the ball of the foot forward on the incline of the shoe, as well as the inability of the tips of the toes to resist the applied forces for extended periods of time will permit the heel of the wearer to slide forward, away from registration with the heel portion of the shoe, resulting in the aforementioned gap that is not aesthetically pleasing and reveals that the shoe is too large for the wearer.
Of course, failure of the heel of the wearer to register naturally in the heel of the shoe can result in discomfort from chaffing as the heel slips in and out of the shoe during normal walking. In addition to blistering, this can also cause damage to hosiery. Moreover, the prolonged axial and lateral compression of the toes in the toe box, coupled with failure of the arch of the foot to register with the arch support of the shoe, will result in discomfort to the wearer.
Cushions that are configured to fit around the interior portion of the heel to prevent slippage are available commercially, but must be adhesively applied and permanently retained in each pair of shoe. It would be advantageous to have a shoe insert that is removable, comfortable, and yet retains the foot in position so as to prevent both sliding forward and heel slippage.
There is, therefore, a need for a shoe insert, particularly a removable and reusable shoe insert, that can be worn to cause oversize shoes to fit naturally and comfortably.